The present invention is generally directed to an improved envelope processing machine, and more particularly, to an envelope processing machine having an incrementing conveyor for conveying the envelopes to the machine processing station through one or more intermediate stop positions.
Envelope processing machines are known in the prior art wherein the contents within envelopes are mechanically extracted from the envelopes. One such machine is described, for example, in West, U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,252. In such machines, envelopes are removed from a supply hopper, transmitted to a cutting station where one edge of the envelope is cut open, and then transmitted to a removal station whereat the envelope is opened and the contents mechanically extracted. The present invention provides for the manual removal or insertion of the contents of an envelope at the processing station, thus avoiding the complexity and the problems incident to the operation of mechanical processing means.
Envelope processing machines are also known in the prior art wherein envelopes are removed from a supply hopper, severed along one edge at a cutting station, and transmitted to a station whereat the envelope is opened and held open for manual removal of the contents therefrom. Such a machine is fully described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,611 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Semi-automatic envelope processing machines of this kind require that the supply hopper, which contains a quantity of envelopes to be processed, be displaced from the processing station by a considerable distance. The reasons for this are twofold. First, and most importantly, a table top surface adjacent to the processing station is required to provide an operator with a work surface. This table top surface must be sufficiently large so as to provide a work surface or area which does not confine the operator to minimize the fatigue which would naturally result from repetitious and tedious work. Secondly, many such machines employ the aforementioned cutter station which severs one edge of the envelope. The cutter station must be disposed between the hopper and the processing station. Sufficient spacing on both sides of the cutter from the processing station and the hopper is necessary to prevent jamming of the machine. Hence, the spacing between the hopper and the processing station must be many times the length of an envelope.
Prior machines included a conveyor which conveyed the envelopes along a continuous or uninterrupted path from the hopper to the processing station. Because this path was relatively long, a considerable amount of envelope processing time was lost during the conveyance of the envelopes from the hopper to the processing station.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved envelope processing machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an envelope processing machine which includes an incrementing conveyor means arrange to incrementally convey the envelopes a predetermined distance in immediate succession from the hopper to the processing station to at least one intermediate stop position between the hopper and the processing station to thereby allow sufficient spacing between the hopper and the processing station to permit the table top surface to be dimensioned for providing a sufficient work surface area for an operator while still maintaining an efficient envelope processing rate.
The invention therefore provides an envelope processing machine comprising an envelope hopper for storing a quantity of envelopes to be processed, and envelope processing station spaced from the hopper, a table top surface adjacent to the processing station providing a work surface for an operator, and incrementing conveyor means extending beside the table top surface for conveying the envelopes from the hopper to the processing station. The conveyor means is arranged for incrementally conveying the envelopes a predetermined distance in immediate succession to at least one intermediate stop position between the hopper and the processing station to thereby allow sufficient spacing between the hopper and the processing station to permit the table top surface to be dimensioned for providing a sufficient work surface area for an operator while still maintaining an efficient envelope processing rate.